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AFCON 2025: Group A goes down to wire as all four teams chase Round of 16 spots
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Reading Time: 4min | Mon. 29.12.25. | 12:13
Being the last group matches, both matches will kick off at 10 pm (East African Time)
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) continues with the final matches of Group A taking center stage today, Monday, 29 December 2025.
Hosts Morocco will battle it out with Zambia, while Comoros will face Mali as the battle for a place in the Round of 16 intensifies.
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Being the last group matches, both matches will kick off at 10 pm (East African Time).
Zambia vs Morocco
The tournament's hosts, Morocco, will tackle Zambia at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat.
Morocco tops Group A with four points following their 2-0 victory over Comoros, in their opening match, and a 1-1 draw with Mali in the second.
Zambia, on the other hand, played out to a 1-1 draw with Mali i. their first match, before settling for a barren draw against Comoros.
They are third on the group log with two points.
Qualification from the group is therefore wide open for all the teams.
The match will see both teams meet for the fourth time at the AFCON finals.
In their three previous encounters, Morocco have won twice, with the other match ending in a draw.
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The last of the meetings was in the 2023 edition, where they also met in the final group phase.
Hakim Ziyech’s 37th minute strike proved to be the difference as Morocco qualified for the knockouts as group leaders.
Overall, they have met 22 times, with Morocco claiming victory 14 times, Zambia six times, with two matches ending in a stalemate.
Zambia’s most recent victory in this fixture was a 3-2 win in a friendly match played on 16 June 2019 in Marrakech.
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui expressed confidence in his side to get over the line.
“I have confidence in this group, which is truly united. We know what we need to do to move forward, and we also understand that we must go through difficult moments to grow and improve.
We have made significant progress in terms of team spirit within the national squad. We are doing our job to make our supporters happy,” said Regragui.
The experienced tactician also reiterated that he is the man to lead the North African nation to AFCON victory.
“Yes, I still think so; otherwise I would not be sitting here. I have even more confidence than everyone else, I believe, in this group and this team.
And we know that in a competition- even more so in the Africa Cup of Nations, but in all competitions in general- it's at the end of the show that the musicians get paid,” he added.
On his part, Chipolopolo head coach Moses Sichone explained his expectations in the encounter.
“We need a positive attitude. Morocco can be beaten. What matters is not how many times we have played Morocco, but how they have performed at this tournament,” he said.
Comoros vs Mali
In the other group match, Comoros will lock horns with Mali at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.
The stakes in this match will also be high, bearing in mind that both teams have the chance of qualifying to the Round of 16.
The two teams have only met twice, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, with Mali claiming 3-0 victories in both encounters.
Comoros head into the match having secured a draw against Zambia and a defeat to Morocco in their opening clash, while Mali settled for draws against Zambia and Morocco.
Comoros head coach Stefano Cusin termed the Mali clash a must-win for his side.
“I believe our chances are still alive. We will play with the same strength we are known for. We must win the final match and reach four points, which would allow us to continue in the tournament,” he stated.
His Malian counterpart, Tom Saintfeint, on his part, was wary of the Comoros threat but is confident that his charges will rise and claim victory.
“We know how difficult Comoros can turn out to be, but our focus is to play our game, try to protect our brand, and make sure we get the most important win of our campaign.
We also know how tight the situation in the group is, so we have to play our part to win the game and see what happens next.
Zambia, in second place, can also qualify if they beat Morocco, so it is that group that can go either way,” he remarked.
AFCON 2025 - GROUP STAGE
3rd round
Monday
19.00: (2.90) Angola (3.00) Egypt (2.70)
19.00: (5.00) Zimbabwe (3.50) S.Africa (1.75)
22.00: (6.75) Comores (3.90) Mali (1.55)
22.00: (14.0) Zambia (6.00) Morocco (1.22)
Tuesday
19.00: (8.00) Tanzania (4.00) Tunisia (1.47)
19.00: (3.45) Uganda (3.15) Nigeria (2.25)
22.00: (11.0) Benin (5.20) Senegal (1.30)
22.00: (12.0) Botswana (5.60) Dr Congo (1.27)
Wednesday
19.00: (6.00) Equatorial Guinea (3.60) Algeria (1.65)
19.00: (4.60) Sudan (3.35) Burkina Faso (1.87)
22.00: (6.00) Gabon (3.60) Ivory Coast (1.65)
22.00: (7.00) Mozambique (4.50) Cameroon (1.45)
***odds are subject to change***
